Natural Gas Bill

[Spanky]

Our natural gas bill has gone up by 40% compared to 2004.
What is yours?

 

[WhodaThunkit]

Likewise for me, up 40-45%. But hard to tell exactly. We have a new thermostat, and tend to keep the house a little cooler this season (62F during the day, 56F at night).

 

[justin]

Up 50% on the usage charge. The flat monthly access fee is the same.

 

[Spanky]

I keep mine at 68F during the day and 62F at night.

 

[Eagle43]

Up 50%.  Why?  Methinks this is theft.

 

[Mr._johngalt]

Up 50%.  Why?  Methinks this is theft.

Just the market workin' man! There are lots of ways to heat
your space. If gas goes too high, then people will find alternatives,
which is exactly as it should be.

JG

 

[justin]

We have a baby this year. A few percent of my 50% increase is due to additional hot water usage (gas water heater). We may use the heater more to keep the place warmer for the baby (not sure). It'll probably cost us a few hundred bucks extra this winter. No big deal, as long as our house stays warm. I have no problem with the high prices, as long as there is no shortage. Like JG says, if it gets too expensive, we may use little electric space heaters, since electric hasn't gone up much.

 

[HFWR]

SWAG, last bill was $95, probably 1/3 higher than last year... 

For 5.6 mcf...

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

We may use the heater more to keep the place warmer for the baby

We have a 'sitting room' off the master suite thats been converted to a nursery. I put one of those oil filled electric radiators in there to keep that small room at ~72 degrees while we drop the temp of the house at night. May or may not be a solution for you.

Bills should be 40-50% higher this year, thats the trend for natgas. Pellet stoves are flying off the shelves, I hear the local dealers are getting premiums for them and you have a 3 month wait to get one. I looked around and its about 1700 for a small one, 2500 for a large one (in this case, dollars == square footage heated), about three bucks a day for enough pellets to heat a 2000 square foot house into the low 70's.

Fortunately it doesnt get much below the mid to high 40's at night and high 50's, low 60's during the day here in the winter.

 

[riskadverse]

Mines up very slightly, but it's been pretty mild so far.  Only use the heater 2 hours in the morning and 4 hours in the evening.  Even then it's just as likely to not come on.  Have to laugh though when the rest of the country thought that Californian's deserved the high energy prices a few years ago.  You can make a fortune just watching what happens on the coasts and betting that it will spread to the rest of the country a couple of years later.  

 

[kz]

Last yr was unseasonably warm. We used 57 therms and the gas bill was $69.
This yr was much cooler. We used 71 therms and the bill was $104.

I noticed the electric portion took quite a hit.
Last yr 794 kwh $67.
This yr 776 kwh $81.

 

[uncledrz]

Natural gas cost is up 60%

 

[TromboneAl]

Got my propane pre-Katrina at $2.12/gal. It's now at $2.70/gal, but I won't need to buy again until next September.

 

[Calgary_Girl]

About the same as last year....I like it cold in the house Next year will probably be higher since we'll have a baby by then Of course, it could take after me and like the house cold too....

 

[LOL!]

The last couple of months, the gas bill has been unusually high. We had read all the stories of natural gas prices going up, so thought nothing of it. It turns out one of our gas water heaters in the attic had sprung a leak. Thank goodness the safety pan under it worked. One day while walking around the house, I noticed dripping from the pipe connected to the drain pan and went up to the attic to discover the rotted water heater. I'm guessing we put 50 gallons or more a day of hot water for several weeks into the flower beds.

The leaking water heater didn't affect the hot water in the master bedroom because there is a separate water heater for that, so we always had hot water where and when it counted.

I'm hoping our December gas bill will be lower.

 

[Howard]

No change, signed a contract for 2 years with a reseller.

keep the House at 63, about -12 C right now, would guess that to be about 20F?

No Mosquitos or Scorpions.

 

[Outtahere]

Up about 30%, we have a small house and with all the remodeling we insulated well, he keeps the house cool while I'm at work and then turns it to comfortable when I'm home, goes back down when we go to bed. That increase includes the fact that we have a gas hot water heater and we cook with gas.

 

[justin]

Looks like in general, gas costs have gone up 30-50%. Has anybody gone to extreme measures to conserve gas? Switched fuel sources (to elec or other)? Are the higher prices changing your behavior any?

 

[MJ]

Now that my 1st floor tenant has left, I lowered my thermostat to 60 during the day and night, to 66 during the evening. I use a small fan against the radiator to move the heast air around. I hope to save about $150 or more a month until I sell the house.

 

[Nords]

Next year will probably be higher since we'll have a baby by then Of course, it could take after me and like the house cold too....

As you're probably experiencing already, infants & small kids run pretty hot. It's that high volume/surface area ratio... so you can probably get away with a cold house.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

My wife must have low volume/surface area, at least she does if that means she's skinny, as I'd be killed outright if I suggested anything else. At nearly 6' and 112lbs I think she's a little on the thin side. Always cold. Therefore so is the baby. He's put in a long sleeved tee shirt, socks, and a thick blanket sleeper, then put in a room heated to 72.

Anything over 65 and I sweat. Last august I was required to put the electric blanket back on the bed as the 78 degree air conditioning was "freezing!".

 

[Lancelot]

I have no problem with the high prices, as long as there is no shortage.  Like JG says, if it gets too expensive, we may use little electric space heaters, since electric hasn't gone up much. 

You're a smart man Justin. I especially like your comment: "As long as no shortage..."

Money isn't everything...

Lance

 

[Martha]

Our gas bill for our four unit building was $798.62 last month. Because we are on the budget plan, we only paid $396. Interesting to see what the bills for the cold months of December, January, and February bring.

We have to keep the thermostat set higher than we would like because we have tenants. Oddly, tenants are always colder than owners.

I used to be cold all the time too, but then I hit age 50 . . .

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Problem we're having here in CA is that many of our power plants are natural gas fired. They're small, clean and have fewer nimby problems.

Hence our electricity is going up as well, so substituting an electric product for a gas one doesnt help.

 

[maddythebeagle]

I pre-buy my lp every year and got in before Katrina at 1.09/gallon and burn free wood. Also, get a summer fill in August. lp was 1.06/gallon last year. I dont know why it is so expensive for you, Al? Maybe since you arent close to refinery and your area doenst have as much of demand since more temperate in CA.